ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITYALUMNI NEWS Volume XX

'76 Alumni Fund Launched With an invitation to alumni and

alumnae to "Come join us in 1976," the '76 Annual Alumni Fund drive was officially launched this spring by Very Rev. Joseph T. Cahill, C.M., President of St. John's University.

In appealing to its more than 45,000 graduates, the University is asking this year that they con­tinue to support their university's efforts to maintain presentlevels of student financial assistance, as well as to join with St. John's as it seeks to enrich existing academic programs and develop new areas of study. The 1976 goal has been set at $250,000.

'75 Response

As stressed in the 1975 alumni fund appeal, student aid remains an area of prime concern for St. John's with more than $3.5 million expended each year in financial assistance for some 3,000 stu­dents. Alumni response to last year's request for support in this area was especially gratifying in that individual alumni, obviously aware of the effects of inflation

upon the University in terms of escalating costs in student aid, significantly increased the amount of their gift accordingly.

The average individual gift in 1975 rose approximately 50 per cent from $33.46 in the previous alumni fund appeal to $48.45, while the total amount pledged in­creased by 284 per cent. The strongest response came from the classes of the 1950's and 1960's who accounted for 48 per cent of the total amount of alumni par­ticipating.

Matching Gifts

Many of the gifts from alumni were matched, or, in some cases, doubled by their employers under the Matching Gifts Program. As more companies, both large and small, elect each year to partici­pate in this program, alumni are urged to determine if their gift to St. John's can be substantially in­creased by their employers.

Donations to or inquiries on the '76 Annual Alumni Fund may be directed to the Development Office at (212) 969-8000, ext. 572.

European Tours on Travel Agenda Two exciting European tours

are on the agenda this summer for St. John's University alumni, alumnae and their families.

As part of its continuing travel program, the St. John's Alumni Federation has scheduled a Lon­don holiday for July 12-20, and two tours to Munich, Vienna and Budapest, the first on July 9-24, and another for Aug. 13-28.

The London trip to one of the world's best-known holiday capi­tals offers the maximum in sight­seeing opportunities, shopping and the special warmth that our English cousins extend to Americans. The cost for the one-week trip is $389 per person, double occupancy, plus a 15 per cent tax and service charge. It in­cludes dinner on four evenings at London's best restaurants.

The ancient European charm of the Danube countries can be en-

joyed at a leisurely pace on one of the two-week vacation plans. Alumni will visit each city for a few days beginning with Munich, the cosmopolitan center of Ba­varia, then on to elegant Vi­enna, and finally to Budapest with its magnificent castles. The cost for this tour is $599 per person, double occupancy, plus 15 per cent tax and service charge.

Both tour packages include round-trip jet transportation with New York City departures, com­fortable accommodations at con­veniently located first-class ho­tels, the services of an experi­enced guide familiar with each city and many extras. In addition, low-cost optional tours are avail­able.

Reservations are on a first­come, first-served basis and may be obtained by calling the Alumni Relations Office at (212) 969- · 8000, ext. 232.

Photo by Herb Newlin ALUMNUS HONORED. Former dean ofthe School of Law, Rev. Joseph T. Tinnelly, C .M. '42L (right) is congratulated by Very Rev. Joseph T. Cahill, C .M., President of St. John's Uni­versity, as he received the President's Medal at a University convocation on March 8. Father Tinnelly is now director ofthe northeast province of the Daughters of Charity and a member of the St.John's board oftrustees.

Also honored by St.John' sat a convocation on MayS was John F. Budway '40C, '42G, assistant to the dean of St. John's College, who received the Pietas Medal, an award given to alumni for fidelity and devotion to Alma Mater; and Eugene J. Germino '34C, assistant professor of mathematics, who received the Pres­ident's Medal.

MAY/JUNE 1976 NumberS

Degrees, Honors Conferred by St. John's At 1 06th Commencement Ceremonies

The internationat'ly famous Catholic missionary and recognized world humanitarian, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, was among the several prominent individuals in religion, government and business honored by St. John's University at ceremonies marking its 1 06th ~ommencement on May 8 at the Staten Island campus and on May 9 at Queens.

Very Rev. Joseph T. Cahill, C.M., President of St. John's University, presided at both exercises as more than 1,550 received their bachelor's degrees from St. John's. Law and graduate degrees, as well as an additional number of honorary degrees to be conferred upon alumni and others, will be awarded at separate exercises on June 6 at the Queens campus.

Recipient of"the honorary de­gree of Doctor of Laws, Mother Teresa, who also addressed the graduates at the Queens cere­monies on May 9, is one of the most beloved personalities in the Church today.

Foundress of the Congregation of the Missionaries of Charity in India in 1950, she has dedicated herself to an austere life among the "poorest of the poor." Her com­munity today numbers more than 1,200 sisters and brothers in 67 countries around the world who work with the abandoned, the poor, the sick and the dying. Re­vered and honored by world lead­ers, she has often been referred to in the secular press as a "living saint.''

Also honored at the Queens commencement were William M. Ellinghaus, president of the New York Telephone Company and a director and vice chairman of AT&T, and Paul Gibson, Jr., de­puty mayor of the City of New York for planning, who both re­ceived honorary Doctor of Laws degrees.

A member of the board of trus­tees of St. John's University, Wil­liam Ellinghaus is also a former chairman of the Municipal Assis­tance Corporation (Big Mac) and a present member of New York Ci­ty's Emergency Financial Control Board. Paul Gibson, Jr. is a well­known civil rights, civic and com­munity leader and is a former gen­eral counsel of theN ew York State NAACP, as well as a trustee of Niagara University.

Staten Island

Alumnus Joseph F. Adams '39CBA received the honorary degree of Doctor of Commercial Science at the Staten Island cere­monies on May 8. President and chairman of the board of the Un­ited States Trucking Corporation, he is also a trustee of St. John's University and the recipient ofthe

Law Alumni Mark 200th Luncheon

Appropriately, the 200th monthly luncheon under the sponsorship of the School of Law Alumni Association will take place in July when the nation's bicentennial celebrations will reach their peak.

Col. Saul Fromkes '28L, foun­der of the series and luncheon chairman since its inception in 1959, will preside at the luncheon at The Lawyers' Club on July 8, starting at 12 noon.

Guest speaker will be Owen McGivern '34L, '59Hon., former presidingjustice ofthe New York Supreme Court, Appellate Divi­sion, First Department. He was the speaker at the first luncheon for law alumni.

/ India's Mother Teresa

Photo Courtesy of Catholic Relief Services

University's Pietas and Presi­dent's Medals.

An honorary degree was also conferred at Staten Island on Mary Shea Giordano, president of the Ladies of Charity, a volun­tary association of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York.

June Ceremonies

Prominent alumni to be honored

at the commencement exercises for the School of Law and graduate school degree recipients are Hon. Larry M. Vetrano '33L,Justice of the New York State Supreme Court, and Vincent J. Fontana, M.D. '45C, medical director of New York Foundling Hospital.

Judge Vetrano, who will receive the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws, has served on the Supreme Court bench since 1967. He is a past president of the board of di­rectors of the School of Law Alumni Association and a former chairman of the board of directors of the University's Alumni Fed­eration.

Author and nationally recog­nized expert in the causes and treatment of child abuse, as well as chairman of the New York City Mayor's task force on child abuse and neglect, Doctor Fontana is also a professor of clinical pediat­rics at New York University Med­ical Center, College of Medicine. He will receive the honorary de­gree of Doctor of Humane Let­ters.

St. John's will also confer the honorary degree of Doctor of Let­ters on June 6 upon noted author, educator and researcher, James Marshall Osborn of Yale U niver­sity.

SJ Administrators Appointed Administrative appointments

at both campuses of the U niver­sity have been announced by Very Rev. Joseph T. Cahill, C.M., President of St. John's University.

Rev. Lawrence A. Lonergan, C.M., '49LS has been named di­rector of University libraries. In March he succeeded Rev. Robert Cawley, C.M. who had served as director for five years and who will be returning to pastoral minis­try in the Congregation of the Mission.

In a related appointment, Sr. Marie Melton, R.S.M. '60Ed, '75GEd has been appointed as­sistant director of University libraries.

On the Staten Island campus, Rev. Joseph Breen, C.M. has been named associate dean of the University's Notre Dame Col­lege with responsibility for inau­gurating new academic programs at the campus, administering existing degree programs, super­vising student academic advise­ment and coordinating internal communications.

Library Director Father Lonergan, who joined

the St. John's faculty in 1948, was the founder of the department of fine arts and for many years its chairman. He is the designer of the St. Vincent de Paul Medal,

the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Medal and the International Medal, all of which are awarded by St. John's, as well as designer of the University mace. During the past several years, he has been in charge of the special col­lections and media center of the St. John's University libraries.

Sister Marie Melton, whose appointment is effective July 1, has served as Library Science librarian at St. John's since 1972. She was the founder and former director of the media center of Mater Christi H.S. in Queens. A contributing editor to Catholic Library World, she received the Librarian-of-the-Year award in 1974 from the Brooklyn-Long Is­land unit of the Catholic Library Association.

Staten Island Dean Father Breen, the new as­

sociate dean at Staten Island, has taught at both St. John's and Niagara Universities. He was also chairman of the philosophy department at Niagara and dean of the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Sciences at St. John's. He served from 1968 to 1974 as presi­dent of the Western New York region of the American Catholic Philosophical Association. Since his return to St. John's in 1974, he has been admissions counselor at the Staten Island campus.